Absolute adjectivesSome adjectives express ideas that cannot be graded.. In grammars these adjectives are called non-gradable or absolute adjectives.. Non-gradable adjectives do not have
Trang 1Absolute adjectives
Some adjectives express ideas that cannot be graded For example, a person can’t be more or less dead In the same way, a sphere can’t be more or less round In grammars these adjectives are called non-gradable or absolute adjectives.
Non-gradable adjectives do not have comparative or superlative forms There are very few non-gradable
adjectives, so you can learn them by heart if you really want Here is a list of common non-gradable adjectives in English Note that this is not a comprehensive list
Absolute, impossible, principal, adequate, inevitable, sufficient, complete, main, unanimous, unavoidable, entire, minor, fatal, unique, final, universal, ideal, whole, preferable, dead etc
Exceptions
Although the adjectives given above are not normally used in comparative and superlative forms, you might still
hear expressions like more complete or most perfect Though incorrect, these expressions are quite common in
speech and they have become sort of acceptable, too However, if you are a careful user of the language, you must avoid them especially in writing
Also be careful, not to use more along with a comparative adjective ending in –er and most with a superlative adjective ending in -est Do not write more taller or most smartest These are examples of double comparatives
and superlatives They are always wrong and must be avoided
She is prettier than her sister (NOT She is more prettier than her sister.)
Some compound adjectives have two possible comparatives and superlatives
Positive: good-looking
Comparative: better-looking or more good-looking
Superlative: best-looking or most good-looking
Positive: well-known
Comparative: better-known or more well-known
Superlative: best-known or most well-known
In this case, you can decide which form you want to use, but don’t write most best-known or more
better-looking.
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